“The Ocean Cleanup” intends to scoop some 90 percent of the plastic waste that’s close to the surface from the world’s oceans by 2040. The non-profit organization was founded by a then teenager whose greatest fans include the UK pop band Coldplay.

The history of this transformation duo is a captivating journey through the millennia – in a kind of symbiotic evolution, materials, machines, and tools have seen remarkable change. “tomorrow” took a closer look at five material-machine combinations.

At a time in which climate change constitutes one of the most pressing challenges the reduction of their carbon footprints is turning into an increasingly important task for companies worldwide. But how do you measure such a footprint?

The car industry is constantly looking for new materials. Lighter, more heat-resistant, more resilient, more natural – or just something unique. We describe what aspects of automotive interiors and exteriors are subject to current research.

For a long time, sewage disposal used to be motivated mainly by the idea of just getting rid of it. Now experts are calling for a paradigm shift in the spirit of a more sustainable circular economy: sewage must become a resource.

Whenever an object ends up in the garbage it ends up in the wrong place. The pace at which the amount of garbage is growing matches the pace at which important raw materials around the globe are dwindling. The future belongs to circular economy.

They’re found in volcanic rock, in the deepest submarine canyons and under the ice of Antarctica: creatures called extremophiles that are highly resilient in extreme conditions.

Sand is our second-most important raw material after water. It’s hard to believe, but what seems to have always been in abundance on the ground has now become extremely scarce. Why? Find out more here.

Eight billion people inhabit the Earth and nearly four billion of them are already living without reliable drinking-water supply today. Around the world, researchers are developing new technologies for tapping sources of drinking-water.

Supply chains under permanent stress – production processes in a state of flux, plus everything should become sustainable. Schaeffler board member Andreas Schick explains how forward-thinking technologies can be leveraged for recalibration.

Many companies have set themselves ambitious sustainability goals. But that won’t be enough if the partners in their supply chains don’t follow suit.

Microorganisms as turbo recyclers, mussels as innovation models or artificial muscles as actuators: Driven by a pioneering spirit, biotechnology is gearing up for the battle against climate change.

Ecological retirement – what happens to old batteries of electric vehicles or decommissioned wind turbines and solar energy systems?

Billions of plants for millions of jobs: The Great Green Wall across the continent is the world’s largest landscape restoration project.

Digital transformation is changing the world of construction and helps save time, costs and natural resources. Much of this is still a vision, but is an all-new world of construction in store for us?

Inconspicuous plants with natural superpowers might soon help us stop famines, the destructive overexploitation of raw materials or climate change. Here are five examples.

The term planned city describes the phenomenon of building a city from scratch. Eight examples illustrate why planned cities entail risks and why we need them anyway.